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A cure for Parkinson's? No problem. All it takes is money. It's not AIDS. Hundreds of millions are spent each year for AIDS research and progress is still painfully slow. It's not cancer. Millions of people are surviving bouts with cancer today but incremental increases in funding for cancer research no longer produce correspondingly dramatic breakthroughs. It's not Alzheimers. There is no effective treatment for this disease even remotely on the horizon. It IS Parkinson's. It effects a relatively tiny number of brain cells. It is the subject of numerous exciting treatment strategies. It is the most promising area of neuroscience research because it may be the first neurodegenerative disease that will be effectively treated, then arrested, then reversed and finally - CURED. But when? Five years? Ten years? Fifteen years? Twenty years? When my father was a young man his grandfather whispered to him, "Alec, help me." as he lay frozen in his hospital bed. My father was haunted by those words for all of his adult life because he knew he had been powerless to help. His family eventually delivered his father to a hospital for "Incurables". My father was diagnosed with PD in 1975. He immediately sank into a deep depression remembering what his father had been through. Thankfully, research provided a much better quality of life for my dad. But, how can any of us stand by and do nothing when we are so close to ending the suffering? PD will not be cured through private research funding alone. All of the U.S. Parkinson's organizations combined can support less than $5 million on research each year. That's less than 20% of what the National Institute of Health spends with even a modest budget. Scientists tell us that if we are to cure Parkinson's by the end of the decade we will need to spend $100 million per year. It sounds like a lot, but it is nothing compared to the cost to society of lost productivity, disability, healthcare and suffering for the more than one million Americans with PD and their families. Come to Washington, D.C. in May to learn how you can help us put an end to Parkinson's NOW. We are gaining support in Congress for the Udall bill. We need more. We need to let Congress know that our lives are important and that they can do something meaningful to help us without "wasting" taxpayers' hard-earned money. When you send your check on April 15th send a message to your legislator explaining how you want a tiny fraction of it spent. If you are concerned about the cost of travel to Washington there are ways to help. Talk to the members of your local support group. It is a certainly a worthwhile use of your treasury's funds. Contact the Parkinson's Action Network ([log in to unmask]) - there are limited funds available for scholarships to the Forum. Call the American Parkinson's Disease Association and the National Parkinson's Foundation. They may be able to help as well. They understand the importance of the government funding mandated by the Udall bill. This spring we have had more cooperation in the effort to pass the bill than ever before. It is in all of our best interests to maximize the impact of the Forum and that means more attendees. I am sure that some families living in the Washington, D.C. area would love to host a Parkinson's "activist" for three days in May. Any volunteers? Those of us within driving distance have been known to carpool and share rooms at the Forum. Any other suggestions? See you in Washington in May. '96 - The Year We Pass the Udall Bill. Fund the research. Find the cure. Ken Aidekman